The Hitting Zone

The celebration paused in order for us to shake hands with the other team. After that, the officials took over announcing West Valley Preparatory as runner-ups and then us as champions. I stood between Noah and Julian as we faced the crowd. Both sides clapped and there were some shouts.

I scanned the stands for the Atkins, then was taken aback by the two men beside them. Jeremy and Jack.

Noah noticed my reaction right away. "What? What is it?"

"Jeremy's here..." I mumbled. "And..Jack. Uncle Jack?"

Noah relaxed. "Oh. Yea. They are."

I swung my head to him. "You knew?"

Noah nodded and put his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner. "When you broke your bat. I went to talk to Mom. Jeremy was nearby like he followed her down from the stands." He paused. "I didn't think he would be here for you. That's cool of him to miss another game of his to come to yours. I know we don't like him right now, but...there are worst people in the world."

"Yea...there are." I said, glancing to the spot in the stands where the two stood. They both had hats on, trying to blend in like they were afraid of getting spotted. I couldn't imagine my mother being here. She would have never let me played; heck she didn't like me owning anything related to baseball. My mom was abusive while these two were absent. I guess they can't really be compared.

The officials passed out a trophy half my size and then requests for pictures distracted me from the fact that they were here.

Noah put his hat on backwards, threw his arm around my shoulder and pulled me in close for all the pictures. Occasionally he lifted a finger and yelled out. "We're number one!"

A lot of the guys on the team repeated after him as we posed for the camera.

After half an hour of this, Coach started to usher us to the dugout. "Alright, alright. We can celebrate some more tomorrow and over the weekend. We still have the banquet too. For now, we all need to get home and get some rest. You all still have school tomorrow."

"Ah, man!"

"Lameeee."

"I can't imagine going to school tomorrow."

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep a wink."

"Jake." Coach stopped me. He jerked his thumb at some of the men that stood around. "They've got some questions for you. Are you up to answer them?"

"Who are they..?" I asked, hesitating.

"Reporters." He answered.

I started to shake my head, but then spotted a familiar face. "Can I...only speak to one?"

"Sure." He nodded and smiled. "You're a minor after all. They can't push you around. Which one?"

"Mr. Cameron." I pointed at the only reporter I really knew. Someone who had been there at the start of my baseball career. Someone who knew my past and didn't think anything of it. He wasn't pushy.

Coach went to the group and singled out Mr. Cameron, bringing him back to the dugout.

"Hey, Jake!" He smiled, showing clear happiness. "Wonderful game. Amazing hits! I don't think there has ever been a freshman like you."

A rather loud cough came from a few feet away. We both turned to see Noah. He joined us. "Oh, don't mind me. Just another lousy freshman on the same championship team."

I relaxed know that Noah was nearby. Not that Mr. Cameron scared me...I just felt more at ease with Noah here.

Mr. Cameron laughed at Noah's overdramatic display. "Noah, you know I mean no offense to you. You shine in your own way. Your defensive plays in the sixth inning made you look like a veteran upperclassman. You didn't look nervous at all. You're only going to get better from here on out."

Noah beamed, happy with the compliment. "I always knew you had good eyes Mr. Cameron. What did you want to ask Jake?"

Mr. Cameron waved his phone that was recording. "I need some snippets to put in the article. I figured I would start with the mvp." He smiled at me. "Well, Jake, how are you feeling?"

"I'm not the mvp." I quickly refuted. There were better players than me on the team. Zeke being one of them, Garret another.

"Not officially." Mr. Cameron conceded. "But what you've done for your team and school is undeniable. You were responsible for four RBI's out of your teams five runs. No doubt, you're the star of the show today."

I felt the blood rush to my face.

"You might want to stay away from complimenting him too much." Noah laughed. "You'll just scare Jake away."

"Oh! Okay!" Mr. Cameron nodded easily. "How about this: what were you feeling in that last at-bat?"

"Nervous." I answered honestly.

"Were you trying for a homerun or were you just trying to hit it to a gap?"

"Coach suggested I try my best to hit a homerun."

"Oh? Why would he say that?"

I shrugged. "He thinks that West Valley would underestimate what I can do."

"Did it feel good to prove them wrong?"

I thought for a second. Then shook my head. "More like...it felt good to prove Coach right." I paused, glancing at Noah before continuing. "I don't think you know this, but I didn't have a normal tryout like other players in school."

"Oh? Do you mind telling me about it?"

"We had tryouts in the fall. Our school let's offseason baseball count as a P.E. so it gives the coaches a chance to see everyone in action and make up the teams." Noah jumped in and explained. "Jake transferred in February..when the teams were already set."

Mr. Cameron was enlightened. "So they held a special tryout just for Jake?"

"Kind of." Noah turned to me. "Do you want to tell him?"

I nodded slowly, facing Mr. Cameron with a little bit of shame. "It's no secret that I'm in the foster system. My mom didn't like me playing baseball. She-she-she." I paused and took a deep breath to make the stuttering stop. "The point is...I didn't have any desire to play. By the time I moved to the Atkins, I hadn't touched a bat in so long. Noah took me to the cages. He saw something in me and decided I was going to play. He spoke with Zeke, and in turn with Coach. So what I mean to say...is that, I'm happy to not let them down." I smiled at Noah. "Playing with the Atkins brothers, under such a great Coaching staff and trainer, and with teammates that were understanding...it was more than I could ever expect."

"Wow." Mr. Cameron looked at me in awe. "Excuse me, Jake, it's just, I've never heard you say so much. It was only a few months ago that you wouldn't say a word. You've come a long way."

I smiled and nodded. "I have." I nodded at Noah. "It's thanks to him and his family. I don't know where I would be without them."

Mr. Cameron laughed. "That's great. I'm very happy for you. If you don't mind-" He paused, his eyes weren't focused on us anymore. I turned to see what caught his attention. Mr. and Mrs. Atkins was standing nearby, outside the dugout with two familiar faces.